The inventive subject matter is generally directed to a garment for a male that includes a genitalia receiving compartment with an innovative design to provide improved comfort and support for the intended wearer.
Conventional designs of men's garment such as underwear, briefs, boxers, tights, trunks, swimwear, surf wear, etc., typically have a number of limitations. For example, the scrotum may have a tendency to contact and/or stick to the inner surfaces of the upper thighs, thus causing friction and chaffing during movement. In another example, accumulation of sweat or residue of urine may dampen or make sticky the male genitalia and cause discomfort, irritation, and/or hygiene issues to the wearer. While some prior art, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,800,064 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 7,958,571 B2, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0162052 A1, teach several types of male underpants that include a pouch for receiving the male genitalia and separating it from the inner surfaces of the upper thighs, the design of the pouch is generally not optimal. The pouch may be too loose to securely hold the male genitalia, or very restrictive such that the problem of chaffing and/or moisture accumulation still persist. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0162052 A1 discloses a male undergarment with a protective pouch, which includes a two-ply scrotum receiving section and a separate boarder element. The border element, which is primarily made from inelastic material, is attached to a scrotum receiving section at a location that is markedly below the waist band. In addition, the border element is oriented generally perpendicular to the front portion of the undergarment so that it can be longitudinally folded by the pressure exerted by the inner thighs as the garment is worn. This design has at least two shortcomings. First, since the border element protrudes inwardly, its edges, which contact the crotch region of the wearer, can irritate skin and cause discomfort to the wearer, particularly during body movement. Second, because of the vertical orientation of the border element, and how far below the waist band it is, the opening of the pouch is relatively large, whereas the effective volume enclosed by the pouch (i.e., the pouch volume covered by the border element) is small. Hence, if the undergarment is laterally stretched, e.g., due to spreading legs, the left and right edges of the border element may be pulled away from each other, thus further increasing the size of the pouch opening, which may cause the wearer's scrotum to lose support or even fall out of the pouch.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved underwear for male that provides fuller and more comfortable support and less irritation for the male genitalia, prevents it from contacting the inner surfaces of the upper thighs, and reduces the accumulation of perspiration.